Civic body mulls dynamic pricing for parking in Chandigarh

The Municipal Corporation is considering to introduce dynamic pricing in selected parking lots in the city.

According to the proposal, the parking fee will be based on factors like demand and time of day. This is one of many proposals a committee led by BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi has been considering to introduce in the Request for Proposal (RFP) to be floated for the Smart Parking Project in the city.

The committee will place the draft RFP during a meeting of the MC General House to be held in the coming week for approval. The committee has invited stakeholders for discussion on the proposals in the meeting.

Besides, the committee has also written to various educational institutions like Panjab University and the Punjab Engineering College to provide their views on improving the parking system in the city. The institutes have been asked to share any research done in the field.

Joshi said the MC had sent official invitations to educational institutions, encouraging students and researchers to submit innovative ideas for the upcoming Smart Parking Project by May 27. The Smart Parking Committee will issue certificates of appreciation to individuals or institutions whose ideas or suggestions are incorporated into the final RFP document.

The committee was formed to finalise the RFP after the MC General House approved upto 40% increase in the parking rates.

Joshi said the committee had been considering the proposals to provide real smart parking solutions to the residents. He said it has been proposed to introduce dynamic pricing in selected parking lots. A parking lot in Sector 17 opposite Sector 9 may be selected for the purpose.

Under the system, the rates of parking will be fixed based on factors like demand and time of the day. He said lower parking fee would be charged in case there was no rush. This will help the MC generate more revenue as it will increase the occupancy of the parking lot.

It has also been proposed to introduce advance booking facility. Joshi said the proposal would be part of the RFP. As per the proposal, a mobile parking app will be developed and the residents will be given the information regarding the available space on real-time basis. An option will be given to book the parking lot in advance at some extra charge. The people can also pay the parking fee through the app. Automatic entry and exit at parking facilities will also be provided so as to prevent congestion at these points.

The MC is considering the dynamic parking proposal after receiving the flak for increasing the rates during the last meeting. However, the councillors had made it clear that the new rates would be introduced only after the smart parking system is introduced by the selected company.

Chandigarh